


Tough Decisions

by secondsineternity (glassandroses)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, College Student Peter Parker, College Student Reader, Domestic Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Physical Abuse, Reader-Insert, Student Peter Parker, Student Reader, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 03:55:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19782742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassandroses/pseuds/secondsineternity
Summary: You're a singer working on your music degree at NYU and living with your not-always-present boyfriend. You were ready to give up on your dreams, ready to give in to what you believed to be the end of your freedom when you meet him.





	1. Singing To No One

"You've got this, honey. I always knew you would get into the college of your dreams, but I miss you so much already." You heard your mother sniffle through the phone. You walked down the sidewalk of the busy New York streets, on your way to the university you had somehow gotten into.

"I literally just got off the plane an hour ago, mom." You sighed in exasperation and love for you mother, dodging the businessmen walking in the opposite direction of you.

"I know, I know." Your mom drawled, "(Y/N), you know I love you, right?"

"Of course, mom, and I love you too." You pushed the door to the university and walked inside. You tried to focus on the call but you were taken by the new surroundings. You were awestruck.

"You are so beautiful and useful, my baby, you can be whatever the hell that you want." Your mother's words pulled you back to reality, and you were glad she couldn't hear the tearing of your heart. She didn't know the way you felt about yourself, the way those words affected you so deeply yet barely made a dent in the steel wall you had built up around yourself.

"I know, mom."

_So why am I still singing my songs to no one?_

"I have to go, but I expect you to call me later tonight once you get settled." Your mom's words echoed in your ears as you pushed past the other mingling students, trying to get to the front desk.

"Yes ma'am."

You heard shuffling from the other side of the call. "Talk to you la-"

Her voice was cut off as you slammed straight into someone, making you drop your phone and nearly loose your balance. Strong hands gripped your upper arms, steadying you.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry." The boy said, and you noticed a distinct New York accent. He bent down and picked your phone up, handing it to you. "No cracks."

It took a few seconds for your brain to catch up to the real world. You looked down at your phone and realized your mother must have hung up or been disconnected from the call, and you didn't really want to find out which just yet. You looked back up at the boy in front of you, "Uh, it's alright."

He flashed you a dazzling smile, one that almost made you swoon. Almost.

"I'm (Y/N)," You said, holding out your hand to him.

He wrapped his hand around yours, "Peter."


	2. Work It Out

**Two Years Later**

"Why can't you just act like a normal person, (Y/N)!" Connor, your boyfriend of nearly one year roared at you through the thin walls, "I'm so sick of this 'anxiety disorder' bullshit!"

You took a deep breath as you leaned back against the door of your bedroom. It was the same every time this happened. You would be out with your boyfriend having a great time, talking and laughing like you normally did together. Then something would trigger it, a line of words on a billboard or something you overheard on the radio. Everything would become overstimulating, you felt like couldn't think, couldn't breathe.

And Connor, he didn't like it. He never did, it just made him... angry. He always hated when you would panic, say you were just being 'dramatic'. Nevertheless, he would take you home, turn the car around each time, but that wouldn't be the end of it. You would sit through his yelling, sometimes hours of it, how you were a 'bad girlfriend' and that you were 'just trying to ruin his life'. You would usually lock yourself in the bathroom or bedroom to avoid his physical anger. You felt so powerless against him. All you could do is sit and you wait for Connor to stop raging enough to finally talk to him without the conversation being too one sided.

You heard a bang against the door, making you jump. You reached up to the door knob, double checking that it was locked. You didn't want to even know what would've happen had it not been.

"Fuck, (Y/N), unlock the door." You heard Connor shout through the wall followed by another bang, his fist against the door.

"No," You said softly, but just loud enough for him to hear.

Connor growled, "What did you just say to me?"

"I said no!" You shouted with a surge of confidence, and Connor roared, slamming the door with his fist again. In a moment of impulse, you stood up from your spot and moved to the window. You checked that the door was locked once more before sliding the glass pane open. With enough force, you managed to pop the screen out enough that you could slide through the gap.

You began to run down the sidewalk, Connor's shouting a distant memory as you dodged around the people walking opposite to you. It was too late before you noticed it had started to rain since you had gotten home but it was too late to go back and grab a coat. You would just have to deal with the light jacket you were wearing and hope you didn't get sick.

For once in your life you were thankful you lived barely a block away from campus. You could barely thank the guy who held the door to the men's dorms open for you. You ran to his room, you knew the way by heart. You urgently knocked on the door.

"(Y/N)," Peter said after he swung the door open, not surprised at your unexpected appearance. "Hi."

"Hey Peter," You muttered. You wrung your hands together and swayed back and forth, looking for the words to say in your muddled brain. He looked like he had been busy, like you were interrupting something. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...

"God, you're shivering. Get in here," Peter, as if he had read your mind, opened the door wider and allowed you to step inside.

"Thanks," You said meekly and let Peter help you take your poor wet jacket off.

"Anytime," Peter said as he hung your soaked jacket on his coat hanger. "So, you gonna tell me why you've just randomly shown up at my dorm at ten o'clock at night? Completely unannounced?"

"No, probably not," You smirked a bit at the banter between you two, the one bit or normality you've had today, but your smile disappeared when you truly remembered why you were there.

"C'mon, you know you can tell me," He pressed teasingly, though you could hear the seriousness in his voice. Peter's your best friend, of course he's concerned for you. You sighed and threw yourself on his couch, one that you had familiarized yourself with over the few years you'd known him.

"Nothing new." You sighed and tried to sink even further into the cushions, "He just got mad again."

Peter's eyes bored into yours, "What did he do?"

"It's nothing, Pete-"

"(Y/N), what did he do?" He pressed, taking your cold hand in his warm one.

You sighed, giving in to your best friend. "I locked myself in the bedroom and he banged on the door a bit. Probably punched a hole in the wall too."

You saw Peter's hands clench into fists and his mouth draw into a tight line. You knew Peter well, too well, and knew that he was hiding is anger. You knew he wasn't angry at you, but at Connor. He never got angry at you, no matter how much you'd piss him off.

You huffed out an exhausted sigh, "Peter, don't."

"Don't what?" Peter replied innocently, though you _knew_ he knew better.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't do it. I know you better than you think, Parker." You smiled up at your best friend. It's true, you knew him better than anyone else. Since that first day you met him on campus, you two had been almost inseparable. From movie nights to days out on the town, you two had always spent time together whenever you could. That was before Connor, of course.

Now you two barely saw each other except times like these, when you would run to him from a fight or a falling out. You would cry and let everything out as he held you, telling you that everything was gonna be alright. Just like any supportive friend would do. Otherwise, Connor wouldn't let you see him. At least not alone, not without him. He got too jealous too easily.

You saw all the red flags in your relationship. Hell, Peter pointed them out all the time, but you'd tell him the same thing every time. You knew it wasn't normal, but you were just college kids. It would change when you grew older. You'd both graduate, and probably get married and have a family. He'd soften up by then, right? It all had to work out, it was a relationship meant to be.

After all, Peter was the one who introduced you to Connor at one of your mutual friends' dorm parties. And oh, how he regretted it.

Peter gathered himself and returned your small smile, reaching over to run a hand over your hair. "You do know me well. Better than I know myself, might I say."

You let out a small giggle, closing your eyes and melting into the warmth of his blankets. Despite how exhausted you were, you were trying to stay awake. You didn't need Connor bursting in and getting angry all over again because you fell asleep at another guys' place.

Peter watched you as you tried not to drift off and carded a hand through his own hair, "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know, work it out I guess." You shook your head at yourself, knowing that it was going to be much more complicated than that. "I don't wanna blame him but in this case I feel like I have to, y'know?"

You didn't notice the tears that started rolling down your cheeks, but Peter did. He pulled you into his arms wordlessly and started stroking your hair and back. He held you patiently as you sobbed into his shirt, occasionally cooing that you were alright.

After what could've been hours, your cries fell silent. You were exhausted from crying and made no move to pull yourself away from Peter, not trusting your weak body enough to support itself. You assumed Peter thought you had fallen asleep, because the next thing you knew you had been scooped up from his lap into his arms. You were so tired that you didn't try to stop him as he laid you down on the couch, or as you felt his warm lips brush against your forehead.


End file.
